Key To The First
by SlayrGrl55
Summary: When the school is taken hostage by a mysterious black cloud, it's left up to Dawn and Andrew to save the day... and possibly more.
1. Dark Cloud

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Dark Cloud (1/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Website: 

Feedback: yes! PLEASE!

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS… but I'm pretty sure you knew that already

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

Math class. It was the bane of every teenager's existence, and the same held true for Dawn Summers. The teacher, Mr. Douglas, was droning on about circumference and diameter of a circle and Dawn just didn't have the energy to pay attention. It was only third period but her morning had been beyond busy.

            The night before, Buffy had held a meeting in the living room and distributed jobs for everyone to complete the next day. The Seal of Danthalzar still needed to be covered, so during school the next day the potentials would bring shovels and bury it. Spike was assigned to go with them, because he knew the intricate maze of basement walls better than any of them. It was also important that they find out more about the demon language that was carved on the knife. Giles and Willow were assigned that task and Anya was to work with them. After all, they had the most knowledge on those kinds of things.

            Mr. Douglas called Dawn's name and she was pulled back into the present time.

            "Uh, what?" she asked. Mr. Douglas merely shook his head and called on another student, not wanting to waste time. Discouraged and slightly embarrassed, Dawn slouched in her seat. Across the room, Amanda gave her a sympathetic smile. Amanda had been the only potential not assigned to 'seal-duty' because she had to attend class. Dawn smiled back and then turned to look out the window. She could see the football field and the geese that inhabited it in the morning hours. She rested her head on one hand and began to daydream again.

            Buffy had woken her early that morning and ushered her, Spike and the potentials out of the house. Since there was no tunnel from the Summer's basement to that of the school's, the only solution was to have Spike get there before sunrise and to leave after sunset. As bad as it was waking up so early, the fact that they had to walk was even worse. They all didn't fit in one car and Buffy insisted that they stay together. They must have made a strange sight, a bunch of girls walking down the street carrying shovels and being led by a man in a black leather duster in the pre-dawn hours. Not that anyone in Sunnydale would have noticed anyway. Anyone who was the least bit perceptive would have noticed the demonic activity long ago, and proceeded to get out of that town as fast as possible.

            A flurry of geese taking flight from the football field brought Dawn out of her daydream and drew her attention. It was strange, seeing all those geese take off at the same time. _Something must have scared them._ Dawn thought. Her gaze followed the geese as they flew towards and then over the school and out of her sight. As her eyes traveled back to the football field she suddenly noticed a dark cloud in the distance. _I didn't think there was going to be a storm today_ she thought. But as she watched the cloud she noticed it was moving at an unbelievable speed. _That's definitely not a cloud._ Dawn continued to watch as the 'cloud' grew larger and darker as it soared towards the school building. When the shock wore off a few seconds later, Dawn jumped up from her seat.

            "Everyone! We've gotta get out of here! Come on." Dawn shouted as she moved towards the door. The teacher objected and the students didn't know what to do. Only Amanda reacted to her ramblings. Dawn looked back at the window and saw that the cloud was dangerously close. "Come on! I'm serious. Look out the window!"

            The students all turned to the window and started to scream. Dawn figured that they got the hint and she pulled Amanda with her as she ran towards the main office. They raced down the hallways and down the stairs while teachers and aids yelled at them to stop. Buffy heard the commotion and turned in her chair to look out her office window. She saw Dawn and Amanda sprinting down the hallway and immediately rushed out to meet them. Slightly out of breath, Dawn explained to Buffy about the mysterious black cloud.

            "Okay, I want you guys to get out of here. I'll get Wood to evacuate the school. Go. Now." Buffy commanded and then hurried back into the office. Dawn turned toward the closest exit but Amanda looked to the basement door.

            "Amanda, come on. What's wrong?" Dawn questioned her.

            "The other potentials. They won't hear an announcement if they're in the basement. I have to go get them." Before Dawn could protest, Amanda was already gone through the basement door. Dawn was about to follow when she heard a loud rumbling sound. She looked towards the main hallway and seconds later the window at the front of the school shattered from the impact of the emerging black cloud. Pieces of glass flew across the room and students and teachers screamed as the sharp material cut their skin. Dawn shielded her eyes with her arm and then turned toward the opposite exit. She ran as fast as she could and was at least a block away from the school before she looked back.

            When she did, she felt her stomach tie in knots. The entire school was engulfed in a dark black mist. At the doorways, she saw students trying to get free only to be repelled back into the school. They were trapped. Buffy was trapped. Spike and the potentials were trapped. Dawn was the only one who had managed to get out.

            "Crap."


	2. Other Dimensions

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Other Dimensions (2/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Website: 

Feedback: I love it like Spike loves Buffy

Disclaimer: Joss is God, therefore he created everything… except this particular plotline which is the product of my insane mind 

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

          As Dawn stared at the school in disbelief she saw more students try to pass through the misty black barrier with no luck. A humming sound emanated from the building and it only got louder as the mist swelled. Walking backwards, Dawn slowly moved, not able to take her eyes off the disaster in front of her. Suddenly she had an idea.

          She reached down into the pocket of her cargo jeans and produced her cell phone. "God, I love this thing." She muttered as she pressed the speed dial to Buffy's cell. It rang twice but was promptly cut off. The annoying voice of a mechanical speaker sounded in Dawn's ears.

          "Your call has been disconnected. Please hang up and try again. If you'd like-" the voice was cut off as Dawn snapped the phone shut and returned it to her pocket. She took one last glance at the school and took off at a jog towards her home.

          As she stepped into the foyer, Dawn could hear that something was up. Or, _not hear_ actually. It was too quiet. The house was _never_ this quiet. She dropped her coat by the door and looked in the dining room. No one was there. She turned back and checked in the living room. No one was there.

          "Ugh," she sighed. "Is anybody home?" she called out a little louder, "Hello? Giles? Willow?" she walked over to the bottom of the steps. "Anya?" When she didn't get an answer she headed towards the kitchen to check the refrigerator for some kind of note with an explanation to where everyone was. If they had found a lead on The First they would have jumped on it, so they could be countless places. And that was just in _this_ dimension.

          There was no note on the refrigerator so Dawn turned in a circle, scanning the rest of the room for any clues. When she didn't find any, she turned back to the hall way but as she approached the basement door she heard some one talking. Or singing. Or singing badly. Curious, Dawn opened the door and quietly stepped through. Her footsteps were light on the wooden staircase and as she reached the bottom step she saw the last thing she expected to find.

          "And I, will alwaaays love yooouuu! And I, will alwaaays love yooouuu!" Andrew's voice rang and echoed off the basement walls as he cluelessly sang along to his portable CD player.

          "Oh. My. God." Dawn covered her mouth with one hand as she clutched her stomach with the other. "Andrew!" she giggled uncontrollably and just as she thought she could calm down he shook his butt and she laughed again.

          "Bittersweet memories. That is all I'm taking with me. So good-bye." He squinted his already closed eyes and moved his hands with the music. "Please, don't cry." His voice cracked but he kept singing, un-phased. Finally Dawn couldn't take it anymore and she walked up behind Andrew.

"We both know I'm not what you need. And I, will always love you!" She was about to tap him on the shoulder when he spun around and collided with her. Dawn fell back to the cement floor, her laughter resuming. Andrew's eyes grew huge and he removed the headphones.

"Dawn!" he looked around, paranoid. "What did you see?"

"I saw you singing and dancing." She stated matter-of-factly despite her giggles.

"Oh. You're not gonna tell anyone about this, are you? 'Cause Anya already bugs me about-"

"I won't tell anyone, Andrew. Your secret is safe with me." she promised.

Andrew nodded and extended his hand to help her up. She thankfully took it and stood as she brushed off her pants.

"So, um, why are you home? I thought you were at school." Andrew asked as they headed up the stairs.

Dawn sighed, "A big, nasty, evil black cloud took over the school and Buffy, Spike and the potentials are trapped inside along with all the students and teachers. I was the only one to get out. I tried calling Buffy's cell, but it wouldn't go through. I think it's The First." She had just turned into the kitchen when the blinking red light of the answering machine caught her eye. She quickly pressed a button and the message was relayed.

"Hey guys, its Anya. Me, Willow and Giles are in Korandak right now. Korandak is a demon dimension with a seer much like the Eye of-" Anya's voice was cut off and replaced by Willow's. "We're here looking for information on The First. We don't know when we'll be back and we didn't want you to worry. Talk to ya later. Bye."

Andrew squinted in confusion, "Huh, who new cell phones worked from other dimensions?"


	3. New Information

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: New Information (3/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Website: 

Feedback: I need it like vamps need blood

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, blah blah blah, I don't own the show, blah blah blah, I like cheese, blah blah blah…

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

"C'mon! Work, dammit! Work!" Dawn yelled into the portable phone she was holding. She paced back and forth across the living room floor as Andrew searched through piles of books at the dining room table. She was trying to call Willow for help, but the call refused to go through. Apparently, cell phones didn't reach _to_ whatever dimension they were in.

          Andrew called from the other room, "Any luck yet? Because I haven't found anything."

          Dawn growled in frustration and flung herself down on the couch, letting the phone drop to her side. "No!" she replied, and then muttered to herself. "What am I gonna do?" Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

          Holding a book, Andrew appeared in the doorway. When he saw Dawn's worried face he immediately tried to comfort her. "Aw, Dawnie." He sat down next to her on the couch, not too close but not too far. She had her head in her hands and her body trembled with silent sobs. He began to reach out a hand to touch her back, but she suddenly looked up and he pulled his hand back.

          "What are we gonna do, Andrew? What are _we_ gonna do?! Buffy and Spike and the potentials are trapped. We can't reach Willow, Anya or Giles. What are we gonna do?" she started to cry again and this time Andrew reached out and touched her. He tentatively rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. Minutes later, her tears subsided and she gave him an appreciative half-smile.

          She was about to speak when she heard the voice of someone laughing. She looked up and saw Jonathon standing in the center of the room. Andrew gasped and stood up. "No. You're not real. You can't fool us. Be gone you evil being!" he reached for a wooden cross that was lying on the coffee table in front of him. He held it in front of him, outstretched towards the vision of Jonathon.

          "Ahem." Jonathon coughed. Andrew looked down at the cross and silently mouthed 'oh' as he dropped it back to the table.

          "So, as I was going to say before you rudely attempted to ineffectually harm me with a freakin' wooden cross," Jonathon said, "I just wanted to say that closing the Seal isn't going to win this war for you." His voice took on a less comical and definitely more seriously evil tone as his eyes narrowed. "Things are just about to get interesting. Closing that Seal forced me to look to other methods of killing all of you and it turns out that I found something better. See, the slayer and her little vampire boyfriend are trapped in the school along with all those potentials; and that big old black cloud surrounding the school? Just a little something I cooked up. Every second it gets a little darker, a little denser, and a little more poisonous. By midnight, it'll kill everyone in that school. And you can't stop it. The Watcher, the ex-demon and the Witch? They wont be coming home for a while. So sit back, relax, and watch all your friends die."

          Jonathon disappeared and it was only Dawn and Andrew again. "Oh God, oh God, oh God…" Andrew repeated as his hysteria rose.

          Dawn's jaw squared and she turned to Andrew. "Andrew-"

          "Oh god, oh God, oh God."

          "Andrew?" she questioned.

          "Oh god, oh God, oh God."

          "Andrew!" she yelled this time.

          " Oh god, oh God, oh God."

          Losing her patience, Dawn slapped Andrew across the face and smiled for an instant as she felt a little bit more in control.

          Andrew's hand went to his face as her hand print stung on his cheek. "Sorry." He muttered.

          "Look, Andrew, we've gotta do something. We can't let Buffy and the potentials die, they're the last of the Chosen line. The world is in our hands. Do you get it? We _can't_ let the First win." Dawn said.

          "You know, you really are a lot like Buffy." Andrew declared.

          Dawn smiled. "Thanks. Now let's get to work." Andrew nodded and waited for instructions. "I want you to go get the knife and see if you can decipher anything else. If we could maybe decode something on the knife it could give us a clue. I figure we'll work from there, cause I don't really know what else we can do."

          Andrew hurried up the stairs to retrieve the knife and Dawn took a seat in a chair. She ran a hand through her hair and took a long deep breath. *I hope someone's praying for us, cause I have no idea how we're gonna get through this…*

          Andrew returned and sat opposite Dawn on the coffee table, holding the knife in his hands. He turned it over a few times and looked closely at the carved writings. After a few minutes he sighed in defeat. "There's nothing else here."

          "Let me see." Dawn reached for the knife but as her fingers touched the rusted metal a green light erupted from the blade and it expanded to twice its length. The carvings on the handle glowed with the same iridescent glow and as Dawn looked closer the lines moved and shifted, forming new words. The glow wore down and when Dawn looked up from the altered weapon she saw Andrew across the room with his back against the wall and his hands widely spread.

          "Mother of Pearl, what _was_ that?" Andrew wheezed. Dawn ignored his strange comment, knowing that she probably didn't want to know where he came up with it, and she moved towards him.

          "I have no idea." She said, "But maybe it says something new now. I think the words… shifted or something. Can you read it?" she asked. He took the elongated knife from her hands and inspected it again. He squinted a few times and Dawn watched with expectation.

          "I think I got it, but you might wanna write this down." He said, but he never took his eyes off the carvings. Dawn turned towards the kitchen and Andrew followed as she grabbed a pad of paper off the refrigerator and a pen from a drawer. She sad down at the island in the middle of the kitchen and looked at Andrew expectantly.

          He carefully set the weapon down and read as he followed his finger across it. "Before time and life and before the mighty Gods, there existed the evil that resides in each living thing today. It is omnipotent and infamous and yet no living man knows its true face for it cleverly hides in costume. It balances the heavenly good with the wickedly bad."

          Dawn groaned. "We already knew all that stuff."

          "Wait, there's more." Andrew continued, "In the face of this evil there stands one of light that alone holds the power to crush what has always been. This power returns the balance when all is disproportionate. The energy of the Chosen is formed from these two channels; the evil and the good. The Chosen is a third accessory to this corresponding assembly. Together the universe exists around them. But the evil grows when the good remains and the light must not die. The solution to the problem is the answer to the riddle. The key to the first is the key to life. The key is the answer."

          Dawn's eyes were wide and as Andrew spoke she dropped her pen, forgetting to write it all down. Andrew finished and looked up to meet Dawn's gaze.

          "I think that's you."

Author's Note: I always thought Dawn's key-ness should do something more than open portals so I'm gonna explore that a lot more. And I'm gonna warn you all that the story is gonna end with some level of Dawn/Andrew fluff. I think they'd be so cute together. So let me know what you think… you have any thoughts about how they should defeat the First, let me know! I'm open to ideas!


	4. The Force

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: The Force (4/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Website: 

Feedback: I love it like Spike loves Buffy

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS… believe me. If it was mine, Buffy & Spike would be together already…

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

Dawn frantically paced the length of the kitchen and she was sure she was going to dig a hole in the tiled floor is she didn't stop soon, but she just couldn't sit still.

          "So, you're saying that this… key to destroying the first… that it's me?" Dawn wasn't sure if this was a positive improvement or a very, very bad thing.

          "Well, yea. I mean, you're a key. Or, _the_ Key to be exact. These Tawarick demons, I think they had psychic powers, so they must have known that the First would grow more powerful. That's why they wrote this." Andrew explained.

          "But why hide it? If they wanted people to know, why hide it like they did?" Dawn was beyond confused. Her mind was racing a million miles a second.

          Andrew fingered the dull blade and turned it over in his hand. "Maybe… maybe they had to hide it from the First. They said the First was all-powerful so they had to hide it in this knife. The other carvings, the one about sacrificing blood to the oldest evil… it was like a diversion. They used magicks to cover it up. The knife only changed when _you_ touched it. You're the Key, so your energy changed it."

          "I guess that would make sense. They wrote the warning on the knife, covered it up to fool the First, and then hid it away. Me, being glowy-key-person, touched the knife and the hidden message was revealed." She slowly nodded, the whole story piecing itself together in her head. "So, these Tawarick demons, if we could find one-"

          "We can't." Andrew interrupted her. She gave him a questioning look and he continued. "They're extinct. The species died out millions of years ago, probably around the same time the knife was created."

          A thought appeared in Dawn's mind and she felt sorrow towards the Tawaricks. "What if the First found out what they were doing, and killed them all? A whole species dead because the First feared what they could do."

          There was silence. Dawn rested her head on her hands as she sat on a stool at the kitchen island. She stayed like that for a few moments as Andrew watched, waiting for her next move. Finally she looked up again.

          "So we know that I am the key to stopping the first, because it's written on the knife, but we don't know how exactly I'm supposed to do it." She glanced at the microwave clock and saw that it was already 2:26. "But we've been researching the First for months and we never found anything, so we still have no idea what to do."

          Andrew nodded, agreeing on their lack of direction. Suddenly a thought popped into his head. "Oh! Couldn't you do some kind of trance-spell thingy to tap into your powers… then maybe you'll know what to do."

          Dawn thought for a second and she remembered the spell Buffy had done to find out she was the Key. "Hhmm… I think that could work. I'll go check Willow's spell books in her room. You should study the knife more, to see if we missed anything. Or, um, find more information on the Tawarick demons. There could be clues there. I just hope I can do the spell right, I'm not very experienced with magicks."

          "May the force be with you." Andrew quoted.

          Dawn rolled her eyes at Andrew's comment but realized it wasn't annoying, but rather… cute? She smiled and leaned over, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. As she turned and left the room she said, "And also with you, Andrew."

Author's Note: Sorry about the short chapter, but I wanted to update _something_ and this seemed like a good place to stop before other stuff happens. Anyway, I've been sick lately so my mind isn't functioning properly. I'll write another chapter when I get better. So, go send me some feedback! It will make me feel better…


	5. Help

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Help (5/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Website: 

Feedback: feed me Seamore, feed me!

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS… believe me. If I was in charge, Dawn would be slaying…

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

The sun was just starting its evening descent in the sky over Sunnydale when Dawn began her spell. She and Andrew had moved all of the furniture out of the way to leave space in the center of the living room and Andrew was presently pouring a mix of herbs and sands in a circle around Dawn.

          Dawn sat Indian-style in the center of the circle and she spread out her various trinkets in front of her. She had found a spell in one of Willow's books that seemed to fit the description of what she was looking for. It would give her inner-knowledge, tap into her mind so that she could remember something – anything – about her powers. As Andrew finished the circle he took a seat at the desk. He reached for the cap to the jar that had contained the sand and carefully screwed it back on to the jar. His nerves were getting the better of him and he made sure the jar was securely closed before he placed it down. Not knowing what to do with his hands, he picked at an invisible thread on his jeans.

          "Do you have everything?" he asked, not looking up.

          Dawn went through her list once more. "Frog's feet. Goat milk. Thyme. Two blue candles. Three sticks and a magic stone." She counted off her the items in front of her. "Got it."

          "You know, it's really lucky that we had all those things in the house. Well, except for the goat milk. Although, that was really funny when you asked the guy at the store if they had goat milk and he asked you why you had a pet goat." He laughed for a second. "Honestly, people are-"

          "Okay, let's get back on task, Andrew." Dawn interrupted him.

          "Oh. Sorry. Go on." He leaned forward and watched as Dawn closed her eyes and started to chant.

          Dawn fumbled over a few of the Latin words, but her pronunciation was good enough to initiate the magicks. A green glow rose from the two-dimensional circle and wrapped Dawn in a protective bubble. Andrew watched in amazement as Dawn's body rose slightly off the floor. Once she got the hang of it, Dawn's Latin never faltered and her eyes remained closed as she hovered a foot above the ground. The green glow folded under her to complete the magic sphere.

          The green glow moved around her, causing a slight wind in the room. It picked up speed as Dawn's chanting got faster and soon she was shouting to be heard over the noise of the rushing wind.

"Rememdium." She shouted one last time. Suddenly Dawn realized that the noise had stopped. She slowly opened her eyes and discovered she was no longer in her living room, but… well, she didn't know. Feeling ground beneath her, she stood on shaky legs and looked at her surroundings. She was in a white room, if you could call it a room. She wasn't really sure. All she saw was pure white.

"You seek answers." A gentle voice stated. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, yet Dawn saw no one.

"I do." She answered. "Can you help me?"

It was quiet for a moment and Dawn was worried that she had said something wrong. It wasn't everyday she did this, so how was she to know?

"I can." The voice said. Dawn sighed in relief.

"How do I defeat the First Evil? How do I tap into my powers?" Dawn felt a cool breeze blow past her and as she turned she saw a form appear before her. The form, she soon realized, was that of a woman.

As the being solidified, Dawn could take in the details of her. She was tall, maybe about seven feet. She had shoulder length dark brown hair and dark brown eyes to match. Her skin was pale, very pale. Almost light enough to blend in with the white environment. Her gown was what stood out the most, though. It was long and purple, the color of royalty, and trimmed with silver. This woman was beautiful.

"You may call me Trecia." She said, "And I will help you. Tell me, why can't you fight this foe?" Trecia circled Dawn.

"It's powerful. It can manipulate people… it can open the Hellmouth…"

"No, child. Those things have been defeated before. They pose no threat to you. What is so special about the First Evil?" it stopped in front of her and looked deeply into her eyes. "Why can't you fight it?" Trecia slowly reached out a hand and squeezed Dawn's shoulder. "Why can't you hurt it?"

"Because I can't touch it. Because it's not solid. Non-corporeal." Dawn answered.

Trecia smiled. "Exactly. So what must you do to be able to fight it?"

"Make it physical. But how?" Dawn still didn't understand.

"There is an ancient remedy to your modern problem. It's simpler than you think. The energy inside of you is powerful. More powerful than anything you could ever dream of."

"Like Willow?" Dawn asked.

"The witch? You have more power in your pinky than she could ever have. That is why you can't fathom it. But you need to know how to use that energy, to channel it. Any ordinary spell can be magnified greatly by your blood. Use that to your advantage." Trecia released Dawn and slowly faded from her sight.

"Thank you, Trecia." Dawn called out, but she wasn't sure if she heard her. Suddenly the white world disintegrated before her eyes and she was back in her living room, sitting on the floor and covered in the green sand and herb mixture.

She looked up and saw Andrew with his mouth hanging open and his eyes bugging out of his head. "That was so cool." He said.

She laughed and stood up to dust herself off. "You have no idea."

Author's Note: Hey everyone! And to Asarielle… its _evil, magic_ poison gas. That's why it can kill Spike. Lol… just go with it. Anyway, here was another short chapter. Sorry about the short-ness. Hope you liked it anyway… now click on that review button and tell me you love me!


	6. Finding What They Need

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Finding What They Need (6/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Website: 

Feedback: yes, please!

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS… believe me. If I was in charge, Angel might make more facial expressions…

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

          "I still don't get it." Andrew whined. He followed Dawn into the living room and crossed his arms defiantly. "I want to know what's going on."

          Dawn sighed, Andrew had been doing this for the past twenty minutes. "We're saving the world." She replied simply.

          Andrew rolled his eyes and continued to stare at her. A few minutes passed and Andrew grew restless. "Are you gonna tell me anytime soon? 'Cause I'm getting kinda tired of standing here watching you."

          Dawn began to speak but quickly shut her mouth. She took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll tell you. Once. I don't want to explain it fifty times because we have major work to do. Come here." She patted the couch next to her and smiled sweetly.

          Andrew obediently sat down next to her and waited to hear about her daring adventure.

          The sweet smiled disappeared. "I did a spell. I met a guardian named Trecia. She told me what to do. Now I'm trying to do it." And with that said she went back to flipping through the book in front of her.

          "That was so not fair." Andrew whined again. "What are you looking for anyway?"

          Dawn continued to flip through the pages of the musty old book on her lap. She caught a glimpse of a few different spells and potions and she searched, mostly love spells but a few others. With a groan of frustration she closed the book, declaring it useless.

          Finally she decided to answer Andrew. "I'm looking for a spell to solidify The First."

          Andrew took a moment to process this information and then his eyes lit up with comprehension. "Oh! Cause it's all non-corporeal!"

          "Yea." She nodded as she picked up a new book from a pile on the coffee table. "If we can find a spell to solidify it, then we can fight it. Then at least we have a chance of beating it." She tucked a piece of hair behind an ear. "Take a book and look." She nodded her head towards the pile of books in front of him.

          Andrew picked up a book and began to look through it.

          "Cartelin's Enchantment… Charm of Talkon… Binding Spell of Marjiin… Plea To The Child of Words… Karmik's Talisman Spell…" Andrew read aloud from the book as he searched.

          "Wait." Dawn closed her book and moved closer to Andrew, looking over his shoulder to see the book he was reading. "Go back a few pages." He turned back a few pages. "That sounded familiar… that 'child of words' thing… where have I heard that?"

          Dawn turned a page and found the 'Plea To The Child of Words' written in cursive at the top of a page. Andrew handed over the book as she mumbled through the first verse of the spell. Suddenly recognition hit her.

          "Willow!" she shouted. "Willow and Tara did this spell when Buffy first came back from… came back. The spell Willow did had created this misty white demon-y thing and they couldn't destroy it, or Buffy would go back. So they did this spell to make it physical."

          "And then Buffy killed it?" Andrew asked.

          "Yup. Chopped its head off." She stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. She grabbed the pen she had used earlier and scribbled down a few things they would need. When she was done, she returned to the living room. She put a bookmark on the page of the spell and sat the book down on the desk, away from the other piles.

          "Okay, we gotta get some more stuff, Andrew." She said as she grabbed her coat from the hook in the hallway.

          Andrew grabbed his coat from the hook next to hers and put it on. "Where are we going?"

          "Grocery store for a few more herbs and then a magic shop downtown." She folded the list and tucked it into her pocket as she grabbed Buffy's car keys.

          "Um, can I drive this time? You don't have your license and we could get pulled over. This afternoon when you-"

          "Don't worry, Andrew. I really am as good a driver as Buffy is." Dawn twirled the keys around her finger and dashed out the front door.

          "Andrew followed and locked the door behind them. "But once I heard Willow say that Buffy wasn't such a good driver."

          "Ugh. You know what I meant." Dawn climbed into the driver's seat and put the keys into the ignition. "You weren't so opposed to my driving before." She pouted.

          "That was before I experienced your driving first hand." Andrew tried to be at least a little angry but when he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't resist her cute pout. "Whatever. Just drive."

          "Yay!" Dawn squealed with delight, "I promise I'll be really careful."

          Andrew snapped his seat belt into its holder and prayed for his and Dawn's safety as the car rolled out of the driveway.

Author's Note: aahh! Writer's block! It's such a curse. If anyone has any ideas, let me know!


	7. Struggling

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Struggling (7/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Website: 

Feedback: according to karma, it would do you well to give me feedback…

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS… unfortunately. But wouldn't it be cool if I did? :)

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

          Buffy looked up at the clock on the wall. Seven fifteen. They had been trapped in the school for the entire day. _Well, except for Dawn._ She turned a corner and continued her patrol of the hallways. _I hope she's okay._

          When the evacuation failed, Principal Wood had ordered all students and staff to stay in classrooms for their safety, and to make it easier for Buffy, Spike and the potentials to keep a watchful eye over the school. As Buffy turned another corner she practically collided with Spike.

          "Hey luv." He said, "Seen anything yet?" He turned and fell into step with her, glancing at the windows where no sunlight had come through. The swirling black cloud had become so thick that it shrouded the building from fatal rays of light, making it look like nighttime.

          She sighed. "No. You?" He shook his head and dug his hands deeper into the pockets of his long black leather duster. He rarely took it off anymore, seemingly making up for lost time. Buffy chuckled at that thought and Spike raised an eyebrow.

          "What was that for?" he asked.

          "Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking." She answered.

          "Hm. As funny as the idea of you having deep thoughts is, the look on your face says it was something else. Come on, pet. I'm bored. Tell me or I'll be forced to make conversation." He smirked, knowing she didn't want him to choose the topic of conversation. She gave him an amused look, but said nothing.

          Robin paced back and forth across the office floor, not knowing what to do with himself. Buffy had given him orders to stay where he was, to be command central, but he was restless. As he looked up, he saw Buffy passing by the office windows and thought about going out to speak to her, but when he noticed that Spike was with her, he stopped dead in his tracks. His anger rose at the sight of them being so… friendly. He turned, not wanting to watch, and silently counted to ten. When he got to ten, he punched a hole through a cubicle wall and then stalked into his office, slamming the door so hard that the walls rattled.

          On the second floor of the school, the potentials roamed the hallways. Each had a weapon, of some sort. Some had stakes, a few had crossbows, and the rest simply carried their shovels. They were tense with anticipation and afraid because they didn't know what they were up against. Vampires they could probably handle, but mysterious black clouds? No. They were entirely wigged out.

          "So, do you think it's The First?" Vi asked to no one in particular.

          "Probably. I mean, who else would do this?" Rhona said.

          "True." Molly spoke up, "But why just keep us here? Why isn't it trying to kill us? If it's The First, shouldn't it be doing something more… evil?"

          They all exchanged glances, letting the truth of Molly's words sink in. Before anyone else could speak, the soft humming of the cloud rose and suddenly it became hard to breath.  Chao-Ahn clutched at her throat, coughing as her eyes searched around wildly. Not being able to speak English, she really had no idea what was going on. Leslie, who had been trailing behind the group, fell to her knees. She reached for her asthma inhaler in her backpack, but her wheezing grew louder and before she could use her medicine, she fell to the ground.

          The noise subsided and it felt like oxygen was rushed back into the school. Kennedy took a long deep breath, feeling relieved, that is until she saw Leslie.

          The potentials gathered around their fallen comrade and Rhona stepped forward. She put two fingers to Leslie's throat and waited.

          "No pulse?" Molly asked, shocked.

          "No." Rhona answered. "She-she's dead." Rhona stood up again, and backed away. Silence took over the group.

          "We should move her, take her to Buffy." Kennedy suggested.

          "Are you sure we should move her? We could hurt her." Vi cringed.

          They all gave her a look that said _How are we going to hurt her is she's already dead?_ And Vi got the point. "Oh." Was all she said.

          "Come on." Kennedy said as she knelt down by Leslie's head. A few other girls helped, and they lifted Leslie and carried her slowly and mournfully to the main office.

          Robin was standing in front of his weapons, trying to decide which he would use when he killed Spike, when there was a knock at the office door. It was Amanda.

          Robin opened the door and immediately noticed Leslie's lifeless body placed carefully on the office floor. He went to the PA system and turned it on.

          "Buffy, we need you in the main office."

          Buffy and Spike were on the other side of the building when they heard Robin's voice over the speakers. They shared a look of confusion before taking off at a sprint towards the main office.

          It was eight o'clock before they had wrapped up Leslie's body and once again the potentials were dispersed for patrol. Buffy and Spike were about to leave the office when Robin approached Buffy.

          "I think I should help patrol around the building." He said almost pleadingly, "You need backup."

          Buffy looked up at Spike, who was standing at her side, and then back to Robin. "I have Spike for backup. I'm good." And with that she turned and left the office, Spike trailing behind her.

          When they had gotten a few feet from the office, Spike spoke. "Well, it looks like the Principal doesn't cope well with rejection."

          "I didn't _reject_ him. I just didn't… _choose_ him. There's a difference." Buffy said, but she didn't sound like she believed herself.

          "Right. So then who _did_ you choose, luv?" He tried to keep the hopefulness out of his voice, but Buffy could still see it in his eyes.

          She sighed. _This isn't exactly the time or place, but what the hell?_

          "Spike…" she began.

          "Yes, Buffy?" he stopped to face her.

          "I-"

          "I hate to interrupt-well, actually I don't- but I'm on a time schedule here."

          They looked up, both a bit disappointed that the moment was broken. When Buffy's eyes landed on the figure that had spoken she gasped. "Angel?"

          The visage of the vampire laughed. "I am whomever you don't want me to be, Buffy." And then Angel's features melted into the face of Joyce.

          _Oh no. Not this._ Spike thought. _Don't bring Joyce into this._

          "My dear sweet Buffy." Joyce's voice rang out clearly in the hall. "You're going to die, and there's nothing you can do about it. Everyone in this building will be dead by the stroke of midnight."

          Buffy was silent.

          "And what about the Nibblet? Dawn?" Spike questioned.

          "She and Andrew are having a grand old time trying to stop me. But they won't. Actually, I was on my way to them when I just decided to pop in and see how you two were." Joyce shook her head, "Honestly Buffy, another vampire?"

          In the blink of an eye Joyce was gone and silent tears ran down Buffy's face. Knowing she wouldn't ask for comfort, Spike took Buffy in his arms anyway. Much to his surprise, she didn't resist, but put her arms around his neck and began to cry harder. He rubbed circles on her back and held her, telling her that Dawn would be okay, but not believing it himself.

Author's Note: Writer's block cleared up a bit, thanks to all of you who reviewed and left me some ideas… thanks guys! It really helped. Another chapter should be up soon, hopefully by Tuesday but I'm not promising anything.


	8. Child Of

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Child of… (8/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Website: 

Feedback: it would make me a very happy author :)

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS… if I did, then certain people *cough* would still be alive.

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

          Dawn pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward. In the passenger seat, Andrew clenched his hand around the door handle so hard that his knuckles were white. When the car pulled into the Summers' driveway again, he breathed a sigh of relief. Dawn turned off the car and hurried inside the house.

          Upon opening the door, she threw the keys on a nearby table and dashed up the stairs. Andrew crossed the threshold a few seconds later and closed the door behind him. Dawn returned a few minutes later with her backpack slung over one shoulder. Andrew was in the kitchen and took a seat next to Andrew.

          Silently, they measured ingredients and put them into Ziploc bags. When they had finished, Dawn put all the bags in her backpack where she had already put some candles. Andrew grabbed the book with the spell in it and grabbed a crossbow out of the weapons chest. Dawn grabbed a few stakes and expertly hid them on her body.

          "Oh, I'll be right back." Dawn raced up to Buffy's room. "Where is it? Where is it?" she opened the closet doors and looked around on the floor. "Yes!" she cried as she found her favorite weapon. She trotted back down the stairs, brandishing a wicked sword.

          "Do we have everything?" Andrew asked, his hands shaking slightly.

          Despite her fear, Dawn looked confident. "Yea. Now we need to get to the tree lot. I know where it is, but um, you can drive this time so I can work on memorizing the spell."

          Andrew nodded and took the car keys and followed Dawn out the door once again. While in the car, Dawn gave directions to Andrew as they drove through the night. By light of her flashlight, Dawn scribbled down words in her notebook.

          "What are you doing?" Andrew asked as he glanced at her.

          "I'm altering the spell. It's gonna be a little bit different than Willow and Tara's."

          Ten minutes later the car pulled into the parking lot at the Christmas tree lot. The sign out front had fallen over and there were cracks in the pavement. The whole area was completely dilapidated. As they got out of the car, they looked around.

          "So, we're looking for a hole in the ground, right? And that should be the entrance to the First's lair?" Andrew wondered.

          Dawn glanced at her watch and noted that it was nine o'clock. Had time sped up? She didn't think it was that late. They only had three hours.

          "Yea, Giles said they were walking around and Buffy just fell through the hole." She laughed a little, imagining her sister's face.

          There were no trees in sight, just dried grass and weeds. In the dark it was even harder to detect anything. Suddenly Dawn felt the ground give way beneath her and she screamed as she fell through. She fell about ten feet and rolled as she hit the ground. She rubbed her arm as she bent down to recover her lost sword. _Okay, it's less funny when it's me that's falling._

          "Dawn? Dawn, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Andrew called, carefully leaning over to see her.

          "Yea, I'm fine." She looked around, "This is it, the First's lair. Throw my backpack down and then climb down, we don't have much time."

          Andrew tossed the bag down and Dawn caught it. She slung it over her shoulder and kept a look out as Andrew clumsily climbed down into the hole. A foot from the ground his foot slipped and he fell to the dirt with a thud. Quickly getting back up, he struggled to regain his dignity.

          "Heheh. Those roots sure are tricky." Dawn contained a laugh and suddenly a thought occurred to Andrew. "Maybe they're _evil_ roots."

          "Yea, sure." She said, "I think we should go this way."

          They traveled down a maze of tunnels, ducking to avoid low hanging roots and rocks that jutted out at weird angles. Andrew kept a trail in his head, remembering their path for when they had to leave.

          They came to an open cavern and Dawn immediately noticed the shackles on the wall across from them. She moved closer and noticed the blood stained on the rocks. "Spike." She said, "This is all Spike's blood. When the First had him, I know they tortured him, but… there's so much blood."

          Andrew came up behind Dawn and silently took her hand. She smiled at him, and then looked back at the bloodstained rocks.

          After a few moments she took a deep breath. "Here is good for the spell." She released Andrew's hand and knelt down on the ground and began unpacking the bag. Andrew helped her and within a few moments they had set up a circle of candles around themselves. Dawn motioned for Andrew to sit.

          "So what's my part in this? I'm the-the rutter?" he asked.

          "You're the anchor. All you have to do is hold my hands and not leave the circle until the spell is done." She answered.

          "Oh. I knew it had something to do with boats."

          "Okay, ready?" she asked. Andrew nodded.

          Dawn began to chant. "Child of words, hear us now. Child of words, we entreat. With our actions do we call thee, to our voices wilt thou bend…"

          A soft laughter interrupted her chanting and Dawn and Andrew looked up. Across the cavern stood the image of Buffy Summers.

          "Now, Dawnie. You don't wanna do that."

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, but I hope you all enjoyed it! It's getting closer to the end, so I think there will only be a few more chapters, depending on how creative I get :) And thank you all for the wonderful reviews! As a die-hard Spuffy fan, I just had to add it in the last chapter, but the story's not based around that so don't worry. More D/A fluff to come!


	9. Words

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: …Words (9/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13… there's only one bad word. nothing worse than the show, though.

Website: 

Feedback: Anya likes money, I like feedback :)

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS… if I did, well… a lot of stuff would be different *cough*Xander*cough*

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

          "You're not Buffy." Dawn said as she rose from her sitting position, "And you can't stop us."

          The First Evil crossed the cavern towards them, wearing a malevolent smile on Buffy's lips. "Is that what you think? Because I beg to differ."

          It raised a hand and no sooner than it had snapped its fingers, a vampire appeared from a tunnel and rushed at Andrew.

          Andrew screamed as he was pushed backwards. The vampire took one swing at him, and he was knocked out. Andrew's body slumped to the ground.

          While that went on, Dawn grabbed her sword. As the vampire turned towards her, she swung, but missed by inches. It kicked her backwards and she was knocked to the ground. It followed and aimed a fist at her head, but she rolled and its fist hit the dirt instead.

          "I don't have time for this." She complained, but the vampire didn't care. He dived at her, kicking and punching, and for a moment she was overtaken. She was backed up into a corner, without a weapon because the sword had been dropped under the powerful attack.

          "Wow. You're weaker than I thought. I predicted at least another few minutes before my pet vampire snapped your pretty little neck." The First Evil mocked her, "Oh well, I guess you'll die a little bit ahead of schedule. I'll just have to have some fun with Andrew then."

          If The First was trying to break Dawn's spirit with its cruel words, its plan backfired because Dawn was furious. The vampire's fist came flying towards Dawn's face, but with a renewed sense of strength she blocked the attack and countered with a swift kick in the stomach. Taken off guard, the vampire stumbled back. Dawn advanced, punching and hitting until the vampire hit the floor. A stake appeared in her hand, as if from thin air, and in one swift motion she staked him.

          When she looked up, The First wasn't there. "Good, you're gone." She looked around, and saw nothing. "Now stay away." She said.

          "Dawn… what… happened?" Andrew was waking up. She rushed over to him, helping him to stand.

          "It's okay. There was a vampire, I killed him." She explained.

          "Oh. Good. That's good." Before she could help him back to the circle, Andrew collapsed as his legs gave out.

          "Andrew. Andrew! C'mon. We have to do this spell. Andrew. I need you." She pleaded.

          His eyes fluttered, opening and closing, and finally he regained focus. Slowly, they made their way back to the circle of candles and with Dawn's help he sat down without falling over.

          "Okay, I'm starting over. Just hold onto my hands." He nodded and took her hands.

          "Child of words, hear us now. Child of words, we entreat. With our actions do we call thee, to our voices wilt thou bend…" She opened her eyes, peaking to make sure The First wasn't there. When satisfied they were alone, she continued. "With our lives thou took pleasure, using lies to harass. Your existence cannot be measured. Give thee substance, give thee mass."

          "I thought I told you to STOP!" Dawn sighed with impatience and opened here eyes again.

          "And I thought I told you to stay—Annabelle?" Upon opening her eyes, Dawn discovered it was Annabelle's body that The First was using. "You are so lame."

          "I have more vampires on the way. They're going to rip you to shreds."

          Dawn ignored Annabelle's voice, and returned to her spell. "Child of words…"

          "Hello? Did you hear me? There are... hundreds and hundreds of evil, nasty vampires coming to kill you." It crossed its arms and huffed. "Aren't you gonna run for your lives?"

          "Our lives aren't important." Andrew said. Dawn kept on chanting. "And anyway, I think you're bluffing."

          The First considered this. "Smart boy. You know, you would have made a wonderful agent of evil." Andrew raised an eyebrow. "And you were right, I was bluffing about the vampires." It snapped its fingers again.

          With perfect timing, a ten-foot tall, green slimy demon appeared. It had horns and blades all over its body.

          "I know I really shouldn't lie, it's such a filthy habit. But isn't this demon just so cool? Look at him. He's going to crush you." It smiled and flipped Annabelle's hair over one shoulder.

          The demon rushed at the circle of candles but suddenly he was propelled backwards. One of Dawn's hands waved in the air, and a faint green force field took hold around them. She kept her hand raised until the air around them was crackling with the raw energy of the key, all the while still chanting. When the force field was complete, Dawn returned her hand to Andrew's.

          The demon was only slightly phased by the force field and continued to try and break it. He pounded and kicked at the air but nothing worked. He cried out in a vicious roar and kept on trying.

          Andrew watched the scene unfold, noting every detail. If he lived through this, it would make one hell of a story. Suddenly he felt the absence of Dawn's hand and he looked back at her and gasped.

          Dawn was glowing green. Not from the force field, but she herself was glowing green.

          "Andrew, stay in the protective circle. I'll handle this." Andrew only nodded.

          Dawn stood and stepped out of the circle. The demon seized the opportunity and rushed at Dawn, but she flicked her wrist and he turned to ash in a matter of seconds.

          "That was so cool." Andrew whispered. His eyes glazed over a little. "Dawn is so awesome." He smiled as he watched her.

          "How the hell did you do that? You're not even a witch!" Annabelle's voice called out. The First had not seen this coming.

          "Nope. Not a witch." Dawn took her time as she picked up her sword again. She took a few more steps towards The First and it watched her with confusion and a slight hint of amusement. Dawn pulled the blade across her palm, leaving a long streak of her blood across the blade. She looked up into Annabelle's eyes.

          "I'm something you can't even imagine." Dawn plunged the sword into Annabelle's gut and swiftly took it back out. "Solid."

          "Hah! I'm non-corporeal. Notice my pain as the blade ineffectually passes through me. Honestly, you're going to have to do a lot better than-"

          Dawn grinned as Annabelle lit up with a green light. It swirled around her, blowing her hair into her face and all around her. In a few seconds the wind and the light slowed down, and then stopped. Annabelle pushed the hair out of her face.

          "What did you do to me?" It asked.

          "Can't you tell?" Dawn said. Annabelle's eyes went wide. "I made you corporeal."

          With that, Dawn launched herself forward in an attack. She sliced a huge gash on Annabelle's arm, ripping the shirt and covering her with blood.

          Annabelle looked up. "Bitch!" She shouted and she grabbed at Dawn. They wrestled to the floor and Annabelle got the upper hand.  
          "You left me with this body, and you left me with her potential slayer powers." It said.

          Dawn kicked her off and she flew across the cavern. Her greenish color was fading. She looked to Andrew. "My spell is wearing off. My energy, it-it's draining. I can't-"

          Annabelle attacked Dawn from behind, kicking her. Caught unaware, Dawn was rammed into the rock wall. She hit head first, and slid to the ground.

          Annabelle laughed and turned to face Andrew. "Your turn, geek-boy."

          Andrew gulped. "Uh-oh."

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I'm on Spring Break so I've been hanging out with my friends. Anyway, please excuse my fight scenes. I'm not that good writing them, but they will do. We're close to the end. Maybe two more chapters left, although it could be more if I come up with something :)


	10. Evil Incarnate

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Evil Incarnate (10/?)

Author: Anna

E-Mail: mostunstableone@aol.com

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: always a helpful motivation when writing :)

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS… I wish I did… if I could just get Joss to sign the damn papers that give me complete ownership of the show *sigh* maybe once the restraining order is removed…

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

          Andrew gulped. "Uh-oh."

          Annabelle approached the circle. Actually, it wasn't Annabelle. Just the First Evil using her face and her body as a tool. In that second, Andrew had a revelation. Maybe Evil didn't have one true face, but many. That's why it had no true corporeal form, because it lived in everyone. In every person and every animal and every demon. Evil, just like good, lived in everyone.

          A small groan echoed against the cave walls as Dawn struggled to stay awake. There was a large gash across her forehead and the blood from the wound poured heavily down her face, obscuring her vision and leaving its coppery taste on her lips.

          Annabelle's eyes were bright with hatred and vengeance. She looked deadly and spiteful and every bit of evil she really was.

          Andrew drew his knees to his chest as he sat in the center of the circle. "You can't hurt me. Dawn's force field is protecting me."

          Annabelle stopped and looked pensive for a second. Just as it looked as if Andrew had a chance, a vicious smile speared on her face.

          "Here's my problem." She said to Andrew as she slowly walked around him. "I want to kill you, but I can't. What's stopping me is that force field. The force field was created by the girl currently fighting exhaustion over there in the corner." She glanced at Dawn, "So maybe if I destroy the girl, I destroy the barrier."

          "No!" Dawn struggled to stand up, but her dizziness held her in place.

          "I guess I thought correct." Annabelle took slow, sure steps towards Dawn. When she reached her, she kneeled down so that she was eye level with her opponent. "Oh, how I pity you." She reached out a hand and pushed a strand oh hair behind Dawn's ear. "But not enough." Quick as lightening, she was standing and before either Dawn or Andrew could react Annabelle kicked the side of Dawn's head and she fell to the ground, limp and lifeless.

          The green glow surrounding Andrew faded as Dawn's head reached the ground and he knew he wasn't going to make it out of that cave alive. In his gut, he felt that this was his penance for his evil deeds. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sadly reached for the dagger lying on the ground near him. He raised it, and that was when Annabelle attacked.

          She struck him hard in the face and he stumbled backwards. He swung the dagger but missed. She was too fast for him, and they both knew it. The First decided to take its time and enjoy this.

          Andrew swung the dagger again, but Annabelle's quick reflexes allowed her to steal the knife from him with little difficulty.

          "Damn," Andrew muttered, "I was never good with stabbing." He ducked a punch but was kneed in the gut, and he went down hard and fast.

          Annabelle was about to speak, her mouth was open and an insult was on her lips, but all that came out was a scream.

          Dawn, semi-conscious again, had crawled across the cave floor and regained Andrew's crossbow. With her last burst of energy, she fired the weapon and hit Annabelle somewhere near her left kidney.

          The dagger fell from Annabelle's limp hands and she turned just in time to see Dawn reload the crossbow.

          "Nobody," Dawn said angrily, "messes with my-" she hesitated and shot a glance at Andrew who had his gaze fixed on hers "-potential boyfriend." She shot the crossbow again, and this time she hit Annabelle in the heart.

          "No… no! This cant' be… happening. It's…" before she could finish her last words, Annabelle collapsed to the ground. Blood poured from her wounds and a puddle of dark red quickly surrounded her.

          There was silence for a moment, as the red puddle of blood grew. Two sets of eyes were fixed on the body on the floor, both searching for any hint of movement. There was none.

          Andrew stepped around the puddle and rushed into Dawn's arms. They embraced like they hadn't seen each other in years. Tears streamed down both their faces, from exhaustion and also from the happiness that they had won. Andrew ran his fingers through Dawn's hair, a gesture she knew she could grow accustomed to.

          "Oh God, I thought I was going to lose you, Andrew." She whispered.

          "I thought I was gonna lose me too," he responded, "but you saved me. You were amazing. Thank you so much."

          It might have been the magick after burn of Dawn's powerful spell, but as she leaned in and kissed Andrew, she could swear there were fireworks. She grabbed the back of his head to bring him closer and for minutes they stood there, locked in their passionate moment and oblivious to the world around them. Finally, oxygen was becoming an issue and they both pulled back and rested their foreheads together.

          "I think we should continue this," she kissed him quickly, "after we're sure that Annabelle's dead."

          "I agree." Andrew said, and kissed her back. "Especially about the continuing part."

          They reluctantly broke apart and Dawn retrieved her faithful sword. Confidently, she approached the body and raised her weapon.

          "This is for the real Annabelle, and for Andrew, Buffy and Spike, and for everyone else you've ever caused pain to." The sword came down in a flash and Annabelle's head rolled away form her dead body.

          Dawn smiled as pride welled up inside her. Tears obscured her vision and she brought her hand to her eyes to wipe them away, but it was then that she realized it wasn't just the tears obscuring her vision. Her dizziness returned in full force and everything grew dim and unfocused. She lost her balance and fell backwards into Andrew's arms. As he caught her, she lost consciousness.

Author's Note: The evil has been defeated, but will Dawn survive long enough to celebrate? What about Buffy and Spike and the potentials? What about Willow, Anya and Giles? What about… other stuff? Tune in next time for the next compelling chapter of *dum dum dum* 'Key To The First'


	11. Conclusion

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Conclusion (11/?)

Author: Anna

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: greatly appreciated :)

Disclaimer: I had a dream that I was walking around Disney Land and I met Joss Whedon. He gave me all the rights to Mutant Enemy and BtVS… but then I woke up.

Note: takes place after 'Storyteller'

          Buffy sat at her desk in the school office, absently twirling a pencil in her hand. Across the room, Spike sat in a corner, knees pulled up towards himself and elbows resting on them. He was tired, very tired, but he wouldn't go to sleep. Every so often he looked up at Buffy, but she just stared ahead.

At about eleven thirty Spike noticed a distinct snoring noise and looked up to see that Buffy had fallen asleep at her desk. He watched her closely and also noticed that she was shivering. He got up from his corner and shed his coat as he walked towards her. As gently as he could, he wrapped his coat around her. He moved to brush her hair out of her face but he stopped himself at the last second. He knew better. After a few seconds he turned and headed towards the door.

"Spike." The soft sound of Buffy's voice traveled across the room and rang in his ears. 

He turned and saw that Buffy, still asleep, had wrapped his coat around her tighter. He smiled. "Sleep well, Buffy." And then he turned and left the room.

As he patrolled the hallways, Spike felt restless. They had tried everything possible to escape from their dark prison but it was no use. Without Giles or Willow they couldn't do it. He felt useless, too. Shouldn't he be doing more to help the potentials? To help Buffy?

Suddenly the black cloud surrounding the school disappeared. There was no loud noise, no bright light, not even an earthquake. It just dissipated. Amazed, Spike looked out the window at the moon and the light it cast on the town below. After a second or two he snapped out of his amazement.

He took off at a run down the hallway leading to the main office. "Buffy!" he shouted as he ran through the door.

Buffy shot up out of her seat. "What?! Is it the First?!" But when she saw the smile on Spike's face she was confused. "What happened?"

Unable to control himself, he grabbed Buffy in a hug and spun her around. "I have no bloody idea, but I'm pretty sure we can all go home now."

The infectious smile spread to Buffy and she hugged him in return. "Let's go check." She took his hand and they went to the closest exit of the school. When they neared the door, she let go of his hand and he stopped walking. Her hand was on the door, and she looked back at him one last time, and pushed. As the door swung open she practically squealed with delight.

"Spike, go tell Wood to make the announcement that the kids can leave. I don't even know how we're gonna explain this one. Meet me at home, I'm going to find Dawn." And before he could answer she was already running towards home.

Dawn's eyes closed as she fell backwards into Andrew's arms. He slowly let her fall to the floor and then kneeled beside her, cushioning her head in his lap. He gently touched her face.

"Dawn. Dawn, wake up. Come on Dawn. Please wake up. I can't lose you. Not now." The tears that ran down Andrew's face fell onto Dawn's face, but she didn't stir. She couldn't hear his pleading and begging. She just wasn't there.

The last thing Dawn saw was the ceiling of the cave. The next think she was aware of was a bright white light. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times while adjusting to the light. The second thing she realized was that Trecia, the being that had helped her before, was standing before her.

"Trecia."

"Dawn."

"Not that it's not great to see you again, and thanks for the help by the way, but what am I doing back here again?" Dawn asked.

Trecia smiled. "You still have much to learn, young one. I see that you've started to use your powers but you must learn to control them." Her expression turned serious. "If you cannot control them, then you will be stripped of them. Do you understand?"

"I understand. But how do I learn? Its not like there's a 'Magical-Key-Powers For Dummies' book that I can study."

"I understand your apprehension and your confusion. Just know that I will always be here to help you. Just reach within the depths of your mind and I will hear your call. And I'm sure you will be fine." Dawn's vision faded again and Trecia disappeared from her vision. Dawn was being sent back to the mortal realm.

Trecia watched as Dawn woke up in a hospital bed, surrounded by her sister and her friends. She watched as Dawn retold the story of how they defeated The First Evil, and she watched as Dawn and Andrew shared another kiss. Trecia watched, and smiled, because she had faith in this little girl who could save the world.

Author's Note: I'm incredibly sorry for the long wait in between chapters, but I was busy studying for an AP exam, and then I had some family issues, and then I was sick. It was all very bad timing. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. And if I get enough reviews, I might just write an epilogue :)


	12. Epilogue

Title: Key To The First

Chapter: Epilogue (12/12)

Author: Anna

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: Would you, please? Pretty please? With sugar on top?

Disclaimer: I had a dream that I was walking around Disney Land and I met Joss Whedon. He gave me all the right to Mutant Enemy and BtVS… but then I woke up.

Author's Note: Here's the epilogue. So sorry it took so long, but I've had a virus! A bad, evil virus that caused me to lay in bed all week and watch my new Season 4 DVDs… okay, so maybe it wasn't all that evil :) Anyway, this chapter takes place far in the future. You ever notice how it's always '5 years' in the future? Or '6 months'? Or some other nicely rounded number? I'm going to break that pattern…

_4 years, 7 months, 26 days and 15 hours after chapter eleven…_

          Dawn fumbled with the keys to her dorm room while she held a stack of books in her other arm. She cursed under her breath a few times before the key finally went into the lock and she heard that wonderful clicking sound. Opening the door, she shrugged her bag off her shoulder and it fell to the floor next to her desk. Unceremoniously she dropped the pile of books she was carrying and then removed her denim jacket. She turned around, stretching her arms in back of her, and that's when she noticed the man lying on her bed.

          "Wow. You're majorly distracted. I was wondering when you were gonna notice I was here." He said.

          "Andrew… how'd you get in here?" she asked while smiling. "Spike taught you to pick locks, didn't he? I knew he would be a bad influence on you…" She sat down on the edge of her bed as she removed her boots.

          "I'll have you know that Spike and I have a lot in common…" Andrew stated, "We both like the flowering onions at the Bronze…"

          "And you both have that black leather going on." Dawn added as she motioned towards his black duster.

          "Oh, yea." He played with the edge of the coat, "You know, it took a lot of dry cleaning to get Anya's footprint off this coat."

          "I don't know why you still have that thing." She said as she laid down on the bed next to him, "Although I'm not complaining."

          "Really?"

          "Yea. Amanda told me the other day that I've got a reputation around campus 'cause I'm dating a bad-ass. How weird is that?" She snuggled deeper into him, fitting her head into the space between his chin and his chest.

          "You're dating a bad-ass?" Andrew asked, confused.

          "Don't worry, honey. I meant you." She patted his chest reassuringly.

          "Oh." He amended quickly, "I knew that."

          They laid together until the sun went down as the television played some show in syndication. Although they were both perfectly content to not move, they knew there was work to be done. Reluctantly they left the comfort of Dawn's bed and got ready for patrol.

          A few minutes later they had reached the edge of the cemetery and confidently strolled through the gates. Hand in hand, they walked until they were roughly in the center of the cemetery and then Dawn pulled out her cell phone. Andrew leaned against a tombstone while she pressed speed dial and waited for an answer.

          "Hey, Buffy. It's me, Dawn… Yea, me and Andrew are patrolling… Nope, everything's fine… Spike's home, right? …Okay, I just wanted to check… No, I really don't want to know what you guys were doing… ahh! Stop talking! I'm going to need therapy… ugh… good-bye!"

          Dawn snapped her cell phone shut and tucked it in her pocket while Andrew giggled. Very manly giggling, though.

          "Ok, you ready?" she asked and he nodded in reply.

          She moved closer to him and put her hands up, palms facing him at eye level. He flattened his hands against hers and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tapped into her energies. Slowly a green light erupted from them and in a flash of light it covered the cemetery, effectively dusting all vamps in the vicinity. Inside her mind, she could feel all the vampires she had just killed. She opened her eyes and lowered her hands and Andrew did the same.

          "Sixteen." Dawn said proudly. "That's a record!" She hugged Andrew and he spun her around. When her feet touched the ground again, she looked up into his eyes. Internally, she sighed. She never got tired of looking in his eyes. Slowly, she leaned in and kissed him.

          Soon the kissing was rapidly turning into something they didn't want to do in a cemetery. Andrew pulled away first, mentioning out loud that they were in fact still outside.

          "Dorm room?" she asked.

          "Dorm room." He answered.

          Hurriedly, they walked back to the campus. When they reached the more populated areas, they walked a little slower. Across the way, Dawn saw Amanda talking to some people.

          "Hey Dawn!" Amanda called out. Dawn waved back, but soon she and Andrew had disappeared, his leather duster billowing out behind him and making him look much cooler than he actually was.

          "Who was that guy with Dawn?" Amanda's friends had all looked up when Amanda called to Dawn and they noticed Andrew.

          "Dawn's boyfriend." Amanda answered, smiling. They all shared a knowing look.

          "Wow. He was so cool." One girl said, "I didn't think Dawn was into the whole bad boy thing."

          "Oh, Andrew? He's really nice." Amanda said. _If only these girls saw him like I did… tied to a chair or drawing pictures of the hellmouth on a white board…_

          "Yea, I'll bet he's _nice._" The girls erupted into a fit of giggles.

          Back in Dawn's dorm room, Andrew and Dawn were being real _nice._ And if anyone had actually been paying attention, they would have noticed the faint green glow that was visible in the corners of the door to her room. But, hey, this is Sunnydale we're talking about. Green glowy lights and vampires are just part of the scenery.

THE END Author's Note: Whoa. It took me three month to write this. Sorry it took so long. So what did you think? Good? C'mon, people… review! Let's see if I can get 75 reviews… 


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